Chapter 24 Plague
Su Tong has improved his nutrition and complexion during this period.
Her skin was no longer the sallow color of malnutrition, but much whiter. She combed her thick bangs to one side, just covering the scar and revealing her smooth forehead.
At this moment, he was wearing a well-fitting suit, and his whole body was neatly dressed. He sat there neither humble nor overbearing, and was very graceful and generous. He was completely different from the previous Wu Tong.
No wonder Aunt Wangcai couldn’t recognize her at first glance.
The aunties in this village all looked familiar. Although the original owner rarely interacted with them on a daily basis, he still recognized them.
Su Tong smiled at Aunt Wangcai and was about to answer when he heard two people arguing next to the car.
"What's wrong with you, girl? You just agreed to follow the tractor back! Why are you changing your mind now?"
Su Tong recognized that they were Aunt Dequan and her daughter Wu Xiaofang from the village. They were also a branch of the old Wu family, so they could be considered relatives in a certain way.
Aunt Dequan wanted to get in the car, but Wu Xiaofang held her back and refused to let her go.
Su Tong noticed that Wu Xiaofang kept glancing at her, and she understood a little bit.
Aunt Dequan shook off Wu Xiaofang's arm and climbed onto the car. If she didn't go back with the tractor, she would have to pay another 20 cents for the fare, and 40 cents for two people...
Wu Xiaofang knew what her mother was thinking, and she became anxious, so she shouted out, "Mom! I just got engaged! I don't want to be implicated!"
Aunt Dequan had already climbed onto the carriage and sat down at the side. She glared at Wu Xiaofang and said, "Why are you getting in trouble just by riding in a car? Are you crazy?"
"Wu, Wu Tong is up there!"
Wu Xiaofang pointed her finger and her voice almost sounded like she was crying.
At this moment, everyone in the truck looked at Su Tong.
Su Tong was not in a hurry. He smiled and greeted everyone, "Hello everyone, I am Wu Tong."
Aunt Dequan's face changed color first. After hesitating for a moment, she got out of the car, took Wu Xiaofang's hand and left without looking back.
Forty cents is nothing. My daughter’s marriage is more important.
Aunt Wangcai and Aunt Lai Fu also jumped up at the first moment, as if Su Tong was a plague.
The two of them looked at each other, wanting to get off the bus like Aunt Dequan, but they felt a little sorry for the 20 cents for the ticket, so they huddled at the rear of the bus, unable to get off.
The two young men didn't do anything big, but their faces didn't look very good.
Xing Dongyang didn't expect that these people would make such a fuss in front of Su Tong, without caring about their face at all. For a moment, his face was so gloomy that ink seemed to drip out.
Su Tong sighed in her heart. She only knew that the original owner was ostracized and discriminated against, but she didn't expect it to be so serious that they couldn't even ride in the same car.
Seeing Xing Dongyang's unhappy expression, she didn't want him to be unhappy with his fellow villagers because of her, so she said:
"Is anyone else getting off? If not, stay seated. We're getting ready to leave."
Aunt Wangcai and Aunt Lai Fu huddled at the back of the car. They hesitated for a long time but ultimately did not get out of the car, but they did not go closer to the haystack either.
There was no conversation along the way, but Su Tong could feel someone was secretly looking at her, but she was too lazy to pay attention.
As soon as the tractor arrived at the entrance of the village, the two aunts got off the vehicle as if they were escaping, and ran away holding their tail vertebrae which had been bumpy all the way.
The two young men also got off the car.
Xing Dongyang did not drive forward. He parked the tractor on the side of the road and turned off the engine.
After a moment of silence, he said to Su Tong:
"The recent rumors in the village are more serious than before. They say that you are an unlucky person. Not only did your third engagement fail, but the Li family and the Wang family also suffered.
Your mother and your sister received legal education for a week and became the laughing stock of the village. Not long after they came back, they had already quarreled with the Li and Wang families several times. "
Xing Dongyang looked at Su Tong with worry in his eyes. "I didn't want to tell you at first, for fear of adding pressure to you, and I didn't want to upset you. Now it seems better to tell you earlier so that you can be mentally prepared."
“But Wu Tong, the villagers are superstitious and believe in fate and ghosts and gods. They are easily influenced by others and distort the truth. This is their limitation and sadness.
Don't be influenced by them. You have been to school and studied. There are no gods or ghosts in this world. Your destiny is in your own hands. You must be strong...
This matter was not your fault in the first place, Li Youshuan and Wang Erbao just received the punishment they deserved. "
Xing Dongyang looked worried, and it seemed that he took a long time to finish his words.
Looking at his expression and the reactions of those people just now, Su Tong knew that what he could say was probably only a part of the story, and the rumors were probably more serious than this.
She stood up from the haystack as if nothing had happened and jumped out of the car nimbly.
"Brother Xing, don't worry! They can believe it if they want. I'm happy to have some peace and quiet!"
Su Tong patted the straw on his body, then pointed to the two bundles in the corner of the truck bed and said:
"I guess I'll have a tough battle to fight when I get home soon, so Brother Xing, please keep these two bags for me so that they won't get dragged down by me."
After saying that, she walked slowly towards the village. After walking a long way, she stretched out her arm and waved at Xing Dongyang, "Thank you——"
Xing Dongyang stood there in a daze for a long time. This girl... has really changed.
Yunshan Village is a large village with a large population and densely populated areas.
As the year draws to a close, there is not much work to do in the fields, and many people are basking in the sun in front of or behind their houses, or gathering together with some work in their hands, working while chatting.
Su Tong could have followed the tractor for a while, but she also wanted to directly experience the "treatment" of the original owner in the village.
As expected, as she walked along, she found that many people saw her, but few people greeted her.
Some didn't recognize her, while others who recognized her immediately avoided her gaze, looked strange, and lowered their heads to whisper.
Su Tong didn't care whether she was popular or not. She was just a little confused as to how a little girl could have such an ominous reputation that was so deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Although the countryside in this era is still conservative, feudal superstition has been severely cracked down. Most people have open minds, can accept new things, and have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. It is really puzzling that the whole village is superstitious like this.
Su Tong walked through the village slowly, the familiar yet unfamiliar scenes before his eyes blending together with those in his memory.
The original owner's home was in the middle of the village. When she arrived at the door, she didn't rush in, but walked around the front and back of the house first.
These days, all the houses are made of dark earthen bricks, and the layout is similar, with a main room and three main bedrooms.
Wu Dashan's family was relatively well off. The house was large, and the west wing was divided into the front and back rooms, giving them one more room than ordinary families.
The roof was covered with green tiles made by the earthen brick factory, and there were several side houses built next to it, some of which were covered with straw.
Like most residents, he has a yard in front, a vegetable plot in the back, a big locust tree in front of the house, and a few poplar trees and a bamboo forest behind the house.
Su Tong originally thought that she would see at least one paulownia tree, but there wasn't one.
The sycamore tree is more ornamental than practical. In the countryside where people rely on arable land for survival, few people plant it because it takes up space, blocks sunlight, and steals nutrients.
Su Tong was just a little strange. Her name "Su Tong" in her previous life was given by her grandfather. "Wutong" is a tree in the eyes of others, but in her grandfather's eyes it is a medicine. The leaves, roots and bark of the Wutong tree can all be used as medicine.
When she was born, her grandfather planted a small sycamore tree in the yard to accompany her as she grew up.
Similarly, her brother "Su Yu" was also named by his grandfather, and elm is also a traditional Chinese medicine.
When her grandfather was planting the small sycamore tree for her, the elm tree he planted for her brother had already grown very tall.
Su Tong had been curious since he had the original owner's memories. His oldest brother was Wu Jiafu, his younger sister was Wu Dongling, and he had a younger brother who was only ten years old named Wu Jiabao. His eldest cousin from his uncle's family next door was Wu Jiayuan, his second cousin was Wu Jiaping, and he had a younger cousin named Wu Qiuyu...
All the male members of the Wu family's generation were named according to the "Jia" character. Although the girls were not named according to the "Jia" character, the season of their birth was added to their names.
Just by listening to their names, you can tell that this family is related.
The only thing about her name is "Wu Tong", which seems a bit out of place.
It is said that the older generation does not value girls, so the names are given randomly. But there is not even a shadow of a paulownia tree in front of or behind the house. Why did they use the word "Tong"? And it happens to be the same as her previous name. Is it a coincidence?
Is she here because of this same name?
Tsk! Su Tong stood under the mud wall outside the yard and squinted his eyes. It was quite interesting.
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